The present disclosure relates to creation and presentation of synchronized maps in eBooks, and more specifically, to creation and presentation of synchronized social maps in eBooks using virtual GPS channels.
In literature, we often see very complex story lines that entail the movement of characters from one location to another throughout the work. In some story plots character movement may be simple and not a key element of the story. In other literature, character movements may be highly complex and deeply integrated into the storyline. An understanding the location and movement of the characters may be a key factor to full enjoyment of the literature and can greatly enhance a reader's experience of the story.
Authors often include maps that illustrate the broad setting of the story, but these maps may generally be static. For the reader, especially in long epic novels, trilogies, series, etc., it may be difficult to follow the location of main characters in the story line. Additionally, for the author, when writing complex works it can be a difficult task to maintain consistency throughout the work with respect to a character's location, especially if the author has a strong desire to maintain a high level of accuracy. For example, an author may want to ensure that the timeline of the story matches the reality of the spatial relationship between specific settings and locations in the storyline. If a character travels from one location to another in the plot, the author may want to determine whether the character can feasibly travel the distance from point A to point B in the time described in the text with respect to the map of the book.